


A Better Life

by AcesOfSpade



Series: Multifandom Coming Out [4]
Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: Christmas, Coming Out, Everybody Lives, Getting Together, Halloween, Marauders' Era, Multi, Other Additional Tags to Be Added, Pregnancy
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-07-28
Updated: 2016-07-30
Packaged: 2018-07-27 05:58:33
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 5
Words: 3,389
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7606378
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/AcesOfSpade/pseuds/AcesOfSpade
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>A collection of snippets from an Everybody Lives AU, wherein there was no Dark Lord and no war.</p><p>Chapter One: Remus has something to tell his friends.<br/>Chapter Two: Sirius and Remus share a moment at Christmas.<br/>Chapter Three: Lily has some news for the boys.<br/>Chapter Four: Baby Harry's first Halloween costume!<br/>Chapter Five: Harry's first eye exam, and his first pair of glasses.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. The 'Other' Secret

**Author's Note:**

> I decided to embark on an everybody lives au. Nice. There's definitely going to be some Wolfstar and Jily in here, and maybe some other Golden-era ships when I get to that part. Enjoy.

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> It's third year, and Remus has something he wants to tell his friends.

Remus was sitting cross-legged on his bed, a book open on his lap though he wasn't reading it. His mind was elsewhere, trying to decide whether he should do this or not. He didn't know how his friends would react, and if they reacted negatively, he didn't know what he would do. He shared a room with them, and if they reacted negatively and didn't want to talk to him afterwards, he might end up sleeping in the common room.

 

While he was worrying, Sirius and James had entered the room mid-discussion, Peter trailing behind them. Sirius spotted Remus staring blankly at a book and frowned, excusing him from the conversation with James to go talk to him.

 

Remus looked up when he felt the bed dip near his feet, noticing Sirius. There was a frown on his face, his brows furrowed in concern.

 

“You okay?” Sirius asked once Remus looked up.

 

“Just thinking,” Remus said.

 

“You're always thinking,” Sirius said. “What about this time?”

 

Remus took a deep breath, closing his book. “There's something I have to tell you guys,” he said quietly, which got Peter and James' attention. They went over to Remus' bed, sitting on either side of Sirius to listen.

 

“What is it, Moony?” James asked with a frown. “You can tell us anything.”

 

Remus ran a hand through his hair, looking down at his lap. “You won't hate me, right?”

 

“Of course not,” Peter shook his head. “We could never hate you, Remus. You're our _friend_.”

 

“You're scaring me, Remus,” James said worriedly. “Is something wrong?”

 

“Not wrong, no,” Remus shook his head. “There's just something I need to get off my chest.”

 

“Got yourself a secret girlfriend or something?” Sirius asked, trying to lighten the tense mood. Remus tensed, but none of the others noticed.

 

“I don't have a secret girlfriend, no,” Remus said, looking back up at his friends. “If I did, there would be a problem.”

 

“With your parents?” Peter asked softly, frowning.

 

“Ah, no. With me,” Remus said. “See, I'm gay,” he muttered.

 

The other three didn't react the way Remus had expected. Instead of looking disgusted or horrified, they seemed encouraging, kind even.

 

“Moony, that's not something we'd hate you for,” James said, putting a hand on his knee. “I'm pretty sure Sirius likes blokes too, and we like him just fine.”

 

“It's true,” Sirius smirked. “I am a man of equal opportunity. My flirting knows no gender.”

 

Remus blinked, unable to speak. They didn't hate him. Sirius was bisexual. This was just too much to process.

 

“Remus, you look like you're going to explode,” Peter commented lightly. “Seriously, we don't hate you. My cousin Clara is into girls. It's no big deal.”

 

Trying not to cry out of sheer overwhelming emotions, Remus smiled. “Merlin, I was so worried you'd hate me. Gay and a werewolf. One of them would've had to be a deal breaker.”

 

The other three Marauders shook their heads at the same time.

 

“Nope. No deal breakers,” James said with a smile. “Seriously, Remus. We couldn't hate you. You're the sane one,” he teased.

 

“The voice of reason, however biased,” Sirius added jokingly.

 

Remus finally smiled, the tension in his shoulder disappearing. “Thanks, guys,” he muttered.

 

“Of course,” Peter smiled.


	2. Christmas 1975

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> It's Christmas of fifth year, and the boys stayed back at Hogwarts with Sirius instead of going home.

It was Christmas in fifth year when it happened. The Marauders had all elected to stay at Hogwarts that year so they could spend it together, since Sirius wasn't going home like always, and the others wanted to be there with him. They'd gotten their parents to agree, which wasn't hard, and they'd stayed.

 

On Christmas day, the four had woken up and sat at the foot of their beds to exchange gifts. Sirius went first, handing each of them a box wrapped in red and gold paper.

 

James opened his first, grinning up at Sirius. “Thanks, Padfoot.” Sirius had given him a book of prank ideas from 'historic' Hogwarts pranksters, and he was eager to try some of them out. He'd heard stories, and they were legendary.

 

Peter opened his next, rolling his eyes at Sirius, “Very funny,” he deadpanned, holding up the mouse trap.

 

Sirius grinned with a chuckle. “I charmed it,” he said. “If you put your wand on it at night, it'll catch the person's hand and wake you up if someone tries to take it. I know James likes to try.”

 

James glared at Sirius for telling Peter that, and Peter smiled.

 

“Thanks,” Peter nodded.

 

Remus opened his last, wondering what it could be. Carefully removing the paper, he opened the box to find... a stuffed wolf? He picked it up to inspect it, finding nothing out of the ordinary about it. It was about the size of a cat, with copper and white fur and a black plastic nose. He had to admit, it was adorable.

 

“It's name is Moony,” Sirius grinned.

 

Remus chuckled softly, placing the wolf on his lap. “Thank you, Sirius,” he smiled.

 

James handed out presents next. Sirius got a bottle of hair gel, Peter got a set of exploding snap cards, and Remus got a book about the history of potions.

 

From Peter, James got a set of antlers mounted on a headband, Sirius got a set of black dog ears on a headband, and Remus got a set of wolf ears on a headband. Seemed like Peter finally gained a sense of humour when giving gifts.

 

Remus went last, handing each of his friends a box wrapped in plain brown paper. James got a Quidditch playbook and Peter got another set of exploding snap cards. Turning to Sirius, Remus watched him open the box nervously. He wasn't sure if Sirius would like his present or not.

 

Sirius opened the box, carefully pulling the contents out. There were three vinyl records, which Sirius could play thanks to James' gift the year before. Included were Queen's 'A Night at the Opera', the Beatles' '1967-1970', and the Who's 'Who's Next'. He had found two of them over the summer, but the Queen album had only been released the month before. He'd asked his mother to get it for him, telling her it was going to be a Christmas present for a friend.

 

Looking over the records, Sirius smiled. “Can't wait to listen to these,” he commented, placing them back in the box so he could carry them easier. He got up to put them on his bed so nothing happened to him. Remus had introduced him to Muggle rock music, and he had to say, he quite liked it actually.

 

The four soon collected up their things and put them away, getting dressed and heading down for breakfast. James and Peter were especially hungry, so they rushed ahead, leaving Sirius and Remus behind them.

 

“Thank you,” Sirius muttered. “I know that Queen album is pretty new, must've been hard to find.”

 

Remus shrugged, trying to look casual. “My Mum found it. She's good at that kind of thing. Thanks for the wolf. It's rather cute.”

 

Sirius chuckled. “I spent the summer with James, and we went to a few Muggle shops. I saw it and thought of you,” he shrugged. He had to exchange his own money for Muggle money, which was tedious, but it was worth it if Remus liked it.

 

The two fell silent for a while as they sat down for breakfast, passing food to each other.

 

After breakfast, the Marauders returned to Gryffindor tower, Peter going to retrieve one of his new exploding snap decks. Sirius and Remus opted out of playing, but James was all for it.

 

Instead, Sirius and Remus went up to the dorm so Sirius could listen to those records. He dug out the record player James had got him last Christmas, setting it up on his bed. He started with the Queen album, gently placing it on the record player and adjusting the needle so it would play. The sound of music filled the little dorm, echoing off the walls.

 

Remus sat on his bed, watching Sirius dance around dramatically to the song. It was amusing, to say the least, and rather adorable. A small, fond smile found its way onto Remus' face, coupled with an eye roll and a chuckle.

 

After a few songs, Sirius stopped dancing, sitting on Remus' bed with him. He grinned at him, lightly bumping their shoulders together. “I think I'll like this one,” he commented. “Thank you,” he said again.

 

As the record kept playing, Sirius got back up to dance, dragging Remus with him with the argument 'it's Christmas!'. Their dancing was over-exaggerated and loose, nothing fancy or refined, just fun. At one point, Sirius spun Remus and dipped him teasingly.

 

Remus was trying to fight a blush at how close their were, and he thought he was doing alright. Sirius' heart was hammering in his chest, maybe from the dancing or maybe from the position he'd put himself and Remus in. Both were thinking something along the lines of 'what if I just kissed him?', and both decided 'fuck it'. They closed the distance between them at the same time, surprised at being met halfway. Neither knew who truly initiated the kiss, but it was soft and hesitant like any first kiss was. Sirius straightened them out so they weren't nearly falling over, hands still on Remus' waist.

 

Remus was the one to pull away, needing air. He couldn't help but smile, an excited smile Sirius really liked.

 

“So we did that together, right?” Remus wondered. “As in, one of us didn't just do it, we both did?”

 

Sirius nodded. “That's what it felt like,” he agreed. “What does it mean?”

 

“I think it means we both wanted it,” Remus mused. “That we both want _each other_.”

 

“I can't argue with that,” Sirius hummed. “Does that make us a thing?”

 

“If you want it to,” Remus nodded. “I want it to.”

 

“I do,” Sirius stated. “Can we do that again?”

 

Remus chuckled. Instead of answering, he dipped his head to kiss Sirius again, less hesitantly this time.


	3. Lily's Got News

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A night at the Potter's has Lily telling the Marauders something big.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This one is really short, but oh well. I also jumped a few years from chapter two, just because I couldn't really think of anything for seventh year.

Sitting in James and Lily's living room, the four Marauders sat and laughed like old times. The full moon wasn't for another two weeks, so Remus was his usual sarcastic ball of cardigan. Sirius had his arm casually around Remus' shoulders as the talked, tracing circles into his shoulder with his thumb. Peter was teasing them about it, bu Sirius simply flipped him off jokingly and kept doing it.

 

Lily was in the kitchen making tea, mixing everyone's just the way they liked it. Milk and sugar for Remus, just sugar for Sirius, just milk for Peter, and nothing for James. She placed the five mugs on a tray and carried them out, placing it on the coffee table in front of the couch and moving to sit on James' lap. James wrapped an arm around her as he reached for her tea, handing it to her before grabbing his own.

 

“So, Remus, Sirius, Peter,” Lily said after a little while of just sipping tea. “James and I have something to tell you.”

 

Remus placed his tea on the table, looking over at the couple curiously. They'd gotten married a year after leaving Hogwarts, so what else could there possibly be?

 

“Neither of you is sick, right?” Peter asked worriedly. He worried naturally, especially when someone had something to tell the group.

 

“No, no,” Lily shook her head with a chuckle. “At least, not yet.”

 

“What is it then?” Sirius asked, raising an eyebrow. He had a vague idea, but he'd let them speak.

 

“Well...” Lily trailed off. “I'm pregnant.”

 

“Congratulations,” Remus smiled, genuinely happy for his friends. He knew how much family meant to James, so he was probably more excited for this than Lily was.

 

“That's great!” Peter beamed, standing to go give Lily a quick hug.

 

“Prongs, don't mess this up,” Sirius teased, smiling nonetheless.

 

“I won't, Padfoot. I promise,” James chuckled, kissing Lily's cheek. “There's another thing,” he added, glancing up at Lily to make sure it was okay to mention. When she nodded, he went on. “Sirius, we were wondering if you'd want to be the godfather.”

 

The grin that settled on Sirius' face could only be described as ecstatic. “I'd be honoured,” he nodded. A little Prongs would be great, and being godfather meant being the cool uncle in Sirius' opinion.

 

Remus laughed at his boyfriend's enthusiasm, kissing his cheek. He knew Sirius would be an amazing godfather, and would probably try to teach the baby swear words as soon as it could talk.

 

The rest of the evening, the Marauders let Lily convince them to play a Muggle game called 'Mouse Trap'. Sirius, but some stroke of luck, ended up winning the game a few times. Remus would just roll his eyes and come in second, having played the game a few times with his mother over the summers between classes.

 

When Sirius, Remus, and Peter ended up leaving for the night, James and Lily ended up curled up together on the couch with popcorn, watching a Muggle movie called 'the Wizard of Oz' that Lily loved as a child.


	4. Halloween 1981

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> It's Harry's first Halloween in costume, and Lily regrets letting Sirius pick Harry's costume.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Another really short one. Oops.

Sirius thought he was hilarious. Lily, Remus, and Peter did not agree. It was baby Harry's second Halloween, and he had been deemed too little for a costume the year previous. This year, Sirius insisted upon dressing his godson up in a costume he'd found at a Muggle shop he and Remus had visited. At first wary, Lily caved and let him do it. She regretted it almost immediately.

 

Sirius had wrestled Harry into the costume, carrying him out to his parents to show it off. He'd but Harry in a little deer costume, complete with plastic antlers. James was laughing so hard his face was red, going over to take his son from Sirius and bouncing him on his hip. Lily glared at Sirius, moving to adjust the antlers on the baby's head so they didn't fall into his eyes.

 

Remus, who was the closet to Sirius, smacked him up side the back of the head lightly, though he was trying to suppress a laugh.

 

“It could've been a dog,” Sirius reminded them. “He's a baby Prongs. It was only fitting that be his first Halloween costume.”

 

Lily rolled her eyes, shooing Sirius off to change into whatever costume he'd picked for himself. Remus and Peter were already dressed in costume, as were James and Lily. Remus was dressed as the epitome of werewolf stereotype, and it was hilarious. Peter was dressed as the Tin Man from the Wizard of Oz, complete with little bits of straw here and there. James and Lily had gone for Sarah Jane Smith (in the Andy Pandy overalls of course) and the Fourth Doctor (complete with the scarf, which James made himself).

 

Sirius returned wearing what could only be described as odd. The clothes were outlandish, he had charmed his hair to be shorter and bright orange, and there was a lighting bolt painted on his face. It was Lily's turn to laugh so hard she turned red, having to put a hand over her face to calm herself down.

 

“What's so funny, Lils?” James asked, concerned for his wife's sanity.

 

“He's dressed as David Bowie,” Lily managed to get out without laughing, taking a few breaths to calm herself down. “A _Muggle_ singer. I really have rubbed off on you,” she teased.

 

Sirius rolled his eyes at Lily, sticking his tongue out at her. “I happen to like his music,” he said with a huff.

 

Once Lily calmed down, the group headed out for the party they were going to at the Longbottom home, as it was the only party around that was kid-friendly. Frank and Alice had a son Harry's age, so there wouldn't be anything too ridiculous or dangerous.

 

At the Longbottom's, Sirius received quite a few odd looks from the people there. A few of the Muggleborns present gave him a high five, while the purebloods and half-bloods raised eyebrows at him. He looked ridiculous, after all.

 

The night went by without any problems, James showing Harry off to as many people as he could because he was _so damn proud_ of his son even though he was only a year old.

 

When the night came to an end, James and Lily took Harry home to put him down to sleep, while Sirius and Remus headed back to their place and Peter stayed back to help clean up.


	5. Glasses

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Harry ran into a chair because he 'couldn't see it', so James had Lily set up an eye exam for him. The result was Harry's first pair of glasses.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I will freely admit I have no idea how eye exams worked in the 80s, but I imagine they're kinda like mine now because my eye doctor has some antiquated equipment tbh.

“But Mummy,” Harry whined. “I don't wanna get my eyes checked.”

 

This had been the argument all week. James was concerned for Harry's eyesight after he'd watch the four year old run into a chair that was right in front of him, claiming he hadn't seen it. Lily insisted on taking him to see a Muggle optometrist, as she didn't trust Wizarding ones.

 

“Too bad, baby,” Lily shook her head. “Daddy's worried about you, so we're taking you to see if anything's wrong with your eyes.”

 

Harry huffed, crossing his arm over his chest as they headed for Muggle London. Lily had Harry hold her hand as they walked, not wanting to lose him in the crowd. James was right behind them, gawking at the sights. In all the years he had been with Lily, he still hadn't seen much of Muggle London. It was fascinating and new, and James wanted to explore more of it. Alas, they were on a mission and he couldn't get distracted by buskers or little shops on the corners.

 

When they got to the optometrist's office, James held the door for Harry and Lily as they headed inside. The office was fascinating, with odd equipment and racks of glasses on the walls.

 

Lily walked up to the desk with Harry and James in tow, smiling at the receptionist sweetly. “Three o'clock appointment for Harry Potter?” she enquired, both to tell the receptionist and make sure she got the time right.

 

The receptionist looked down at her schedule and nodded. “Right here, yes,” she confirmed. “Dr. Davis will be with you in a moment. Have a seat over in the chairs.”

 

Lily nodded her thanks and let Harry wander over to the collection of Lego the doctor had by the waiting area. Harry was fascinated by Lego, Lily having bought him some last Christmas. He loved building with it, especially when James made his creations sing or talk to him. He couldn't do that here, and Harry was vaguely aware of that, so he settled on building himself a little house of bricks.

 

James sat on the floor next to him, building a tree out of Lego to sit next to Harry's house. Lily smiled fondly at her boys, sitting in one of the chairs with a crossword puzzle she'd brought with her.

 

Just as Harry put the finishing touches on his house, a friendly-looking man called his name. Lily stood to take him in, leaving James with the Lego. James and Muggle technology didn't mix well.

 

Harry squirmed in the chair, not wanting to do this. He'd forgotten why he was here because of the Lego, but sitting in the chair with this weird man putting things in front of his face, Harry remembered.

 

As the examination came to a close, it was confirmed that Harry did need glasses. He was taken out to look at the glasses on the walls so he could pick out a set of frames. After trying on dozens of pairs, he settled on a pair that looked almost exactly like his father's: large, round, and thick. Lily chuckled when he'd picked them out, taking them to the desk. They were told they could pick them up in a week's time, as the lenses needed to be adjusted to her prescription and set in the frames. Lily paid the cost out of pocket, as it wasn't much, promising to come back in a week to pick them up.

 

When he finally put the glasses on a week later, Harry actually cheered softly, because _he could see_. He had hugged his Dad, as he had insisted Harry get an eye exam. Lily got a hug too, just because. He actually found that he liked having glasses, besides having to remember to take them off before bed.


End file.
